So I am really feeling strong thankfulness for being DONE with the clothes for the consignment sale tomorrow. Talk about last minute.. deadline was 9 pm and thats about when the kids and I got home. =/ But, those of you who know me probably aren't a bit surprised.

Although that feels like a huge stress lifted, I have something else on my mind tonight that I think I would like to write about as well.

Kendal's dad and I had to discuss something today. One thing led to another and things just seemed to get way out of hand. Insults, opinions, and digging up the past combined with being defensive are never a good combo. So, needless to say it got a little ugly. During our conversation, after things settled down.. we ended up apologizing to each other, and it hit me that I had forgiven him a long time ago for what he had done. Because of that, I have no hard feelings towards him, maintain a civil relationship, and I am able to respect him as Kendal's father. Being able to forgive people in your life is HUGE! Holding a grudge can be so damaging and consuming, and it is really such a waste of time. The Lord is a perfect example of forgiving, and I have felt it first-hand. Tonight I am thankful for grace to forgive and the fact that I have moved on in my life.

"(12) Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, (13) bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (14) And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

Colossians 3:12-14

Long day today, and definitely a Monday. I should add to that, definitely a Monday after a Sunday of traveling back home from Greenville. Carson was completely ridiculous today and I think having to get back into the normal routine after a weekend away partly contributed.

Right now, I would like to talk about an amazing drink. I don't think I am necessarily addicted to the taste or the caffeine, but to the comfort that it seems to bring. The smell is calming in itself, but knowing I have some of that delicious International Delight creamer that I am about to add to it just makes it all the better. I have been sipping ever so slowly, enjoying the quiet in the office with Brad, while organizing and catching up on some things. I could top every night off with this stuff. Tonight, I am thankful for the one and only COFFEE! =)

It is well with my soul.

I have been out of town, and it wouldn't have been so easy blogging from my phone, so I am going to do some "catching up".

Friday night I was thankful for my mom's help with the kids. It gets a little crazy when we go to Greenville as it is, but being in a house other than our own and not having the same schedule can make it even more difficult. I find this to be especially true at night. The bedtime routine here at the house is so easy with the kids-not so much when we all share a room. So, mom was a huge help in taking care of one while I was trying to get the other to sleep. zzz

*******

Saturday was an extremely busy day, but I was constantly reminded of the September 11 attacks that happened. I remember exactly what I was doing on that day, especially watching coverage after the first plane crashed then seeing the second one come on live tv. I remember thinking, "ok did they just replay the first one? Did that REALLY just happen?" The events of that day are still just as sad and disgusting as they were 9 years ago. I will forever remember and be grateful to the men and women who have died for this country, whether it be innocent victims in a terrorist attack or fellow citizens who volunteer the chance of death for my freedom.

*******

And tonight, I am remembering my Grandmother, who passed away 1 year ago today. I feel that over the last few years of her life, I was able to enjoy her the most. We were able to sympathize with each other in loneliness and leaning on the Lord for comfort, and we were able to disagree and have our opinions, but this time discuss them with an understanding that we were both adults. It seems she physically battled everything possible for years and years. She was so ready to go home [to heaven], especially after my Grandpa died, but the Lord wasn't ready for her. I remember so many Sundays when I would take her home after lunch where we would talk about things that I wished we could have talked about years before. When it came down to her last days, it seemed to be such a slow and unfair way to die. We all knew the day was coming, but in knowing you cannot be prepared or lessen the suffering in a physical sense. I am fully confident that my Grandma knew the comforting of the Holy Spirit as she was so close to the end.

I was already living in Charleston this time last year, and ended up making a few trips to see her "one last time". But, the last trip that I made before she passed, I knew would be the final time I would see her. I was able to make it to Greenville the night before she passed away. My Aunt had to help me understand some things Grandma was trying to say, but she was clearly slipping away. Sitting in there on her bed, so lifeless, was the hardest thing. Anyone who knew my Grandma knew that if she had a choice she would NOT have been laying in the bed. She was a very active lady with a ton of energy. As I sat there, crying and trying to talk to her one last time, it hit me that the further away from me she was, the closer she was to the Lord. At that moment I had such a strong desire to be in the room when it was finally time for Him to take her home. How amazing would that be to be as close as humanly possible to The One who guides my every step???? To The One that forgave me and continues to forgive me. To The One that died for ME. It was an incredible thought that I will never forget, and that night I felt the reality of passing from this life to the next more than ever. My Grandma ended up passing away the next morning. Tonight I am thankful for the memories that I have from her last years here, her salvation and peace in her passing, and the true presence of Him that I felt even through her death.

"For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul"

This is going to be short and sweet. Once again, I feel like I have nothing to show for today, and I am too tired to do anything. I am going to look over the kids stuff and sign what I need to for their school but that is it! Proud of myself for keeping up with this, but I don't feel so inspired right now.. =/ But, this was all part of the challenge right? No matter how hard the day is, to always find something to be thankful for at the end of it all! Wow, I think I am starting to see the benefits of this. =)

Tonight I am thankful for how the Lord is opening up new doors for Happily Ever After Me; whether it is a random person coming across my site on the web, people I have met through Brad, relatives of friends, people who I come across in my every day happenings, or great supportive friends. I have now sold books in OH, GA, VA, PA, NY, and SC. The word is spreading, and my books are getting out there! This is SO exciting considering the fact that a little over a year ago, HEAM was just a thought. I am amazed at how much it is growing and how the word is spreading. The Lord has provided a consistent flow of work for me, and even some designing projects on the side. I am so thankful that what was once a thought and idea that I was entertaining, is now a reality and something that I love and am proud of!

It seems that I have been waking up to everything that I didn't do the night before lately. Everything has felt so rushed, and crammed, and last minute. Unfortunately, blogging was included in that pile last night.

I am sitting here trying to remember what I was thankful for yesterday, everything feels like such a blur right now!!

Thinking back on the craziness of this week, I would have to say that I am thankful for Brad taking the time off of work to help watch 1 or all of the kids while I go to my various appointments and such. I really am thankful that he is able to take time off of work or work from home, and that he is willing. It is hard being here with out the help of my mom at times, or being able to ask Steph if she could watch one of them for a little bit. I am still getting used to not working full time. At least when I left work, the kids were still being taken care of and it was just me, doing what I needed to do before it was time to pick them up and go home. Definitely an adjustment taking everyone with me, that is for sure.

So, all of this to say.. thank you, Brad, for all of your help this week!! I love you very much.

6:30 AM: Alarm on my phone goes off.

Wake up, get out of bed, get ready, wake Kendal up, help get Kendal ready for school, take Kendal to school, come back home, fix coffee, wake Carson up, get Carson ready for his first day of preschool, go with Carson and stay for orientation and his first day, race Carson back to the car and he ends up with 2 bloody knees =( come back home and look at the coffee that I never drank but threw in the fridge, fold some clothes and feed Ryleigh-Ann, go to lunch, get groceries at Walmart, change a nasty diaper that required a change of clothes [in the car in Walmart parking lot], put away groceries while Brad gets Kendal, get Kendal ready for her ortho appt, look at my coffee in the fridge again that I still haven't been able to drink, go to Kendal's appointment, fill out a ton of paperwork, talk about $$$, remember that we have a Brownie meeting in an hour when we get home, feed Ry and think about dinner, go to Brownie meeting at K's school, meet a neighbor there that I have wanted to meet for a while [she happened to sit at the table with me, and we had no clue we lived 4 houses apart at first!], fill out another pile of paperwork, $$$, get gas, wait for the train to pass, come back home [7:30], make K a sandwich, help K with homework, talk about how Brad and I haven't had dinner, look at my coffee still sitting in the fridge, feed Ryleigh, put Carson to bed, look over K's papers from school, put K to bed, clean up paint stuff, think about my blog-but only after I think about dinner and that stinkin coffee again, write in my blog because if I don't now it is not going to happen tonight, think about my coffee.

Tonight I am thankful for advil, which I am about to take, after I decide if it is that coffee or dinner that I actually want before I go to bed.

Tonight I am thankful for being clean. But this isn't just ANY clean, this is stand in the scaulding hot water for 15 minutes while I listen to NOTHING clean.

No wiping off the shower door with my hand every 10 seconds to see if Ryleigh-Ann [who has been strategically placed in the bathroom doorway] is ok.

No jumping out really fast to try to console a crying Ryleigh-Ann if she isn't ok.

No half wet hair or half shaved legs because I have realized that this "shower thing" just isn't working right now.

No locking the door to be left alone, only to have a 3 year old little boy crying and screaming for me to let him in, the whole entire time. Yeah, thats always enjoyable.

No 3 year old little boy running in and out, or opening and closing the door, or trying to throw toys in with me if I decide NOT to lock the door to get 10 seconds of peace.

Just me and the bathroom walls that need to be painted. Yes, I think about how I would decorate my bathroom every time I am in there. Funny how you think about everything when you are in the shower... thankful I had the quiet to think. As much as I would rather have been in bed, there isn't much I can complain about on this subject tonight. =)